Pascal van Gerven new MHPE program director and the 25th anniversary

I feel honored for being the new program director of the MHPE, a beautiful program with a glowing reputation worldwide. It is this reputation that makes me feel humble at the same time.

I feel honored for being the new program director of the MHPE, a beautiful program with a glowing reputation worldwide. It is this reputation that makes me feel humble at the same time.

Although my experience as a program director at the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience and my early work on instructional design and aging probably makes me a suitable person for doing this job, a lot about the MHPE program is completely new to me: It is not a regular master but a master aimed at professionals in medical education, it does not primarily involve face-to-face learning but especially distance learning, it does not start in September but in May, and – last, but not least – it is about subject matter that I am not – yet – completely familiar with.

In short, I am facing an exciting new challenge and I am looking forward to delve into the program and facilitate its innovative development. I realize that I can only do this by intensive interaction with the teaching staff because they possess the knowledge, experience, and ideas that I can learn from to help the program adapt to new needs and requirements. This also – and especially – goes for Renée Stalmeijer, who did a tremendous job in the past years and whose knowledge and experience are indispensable for designing the future of the program.

While I am still sort of “wet behind the ears,” the MHPE is about to have its 25th anniversary. Of course, this milestone needs some special attention and celebration. On May 31, we will organize a special symposium where this year’s graduates will present their master thesis. As part of this event, four special guests, who played an essential role in MHPE’s history and who are deeply involved in the international field of health professions education, will be interviewed by Renée Stalmeijer. Two of the four special guests have already confirmed: Henk Schmidt and Cees van der Vleuten (although Cees is not a “guest” really). The next day, on June 1, a special graduation ceremony will take place, which will include contributions from our alumni. Of course, the day will close with a party. One of the two days will be opened by our rector magnificus, Rianne Letschert. Further details will follow, but it goes without saying that all staff members, MHPE students, and other interested individuals are invited.

For now, I finish this little piece by saying that I look forward to working together with you in my new role!

We are very grateful for Renée’s great efforts in the past years. She will remain involved in the MHPE. In doing so, we wish her the best of luck.

Pascal van Gerven